Welcome to Dar Al Marefa

At Dar Al Marefa School, we strive to create a community that enriches the development of children and equips them to be lifelong learners. Our teaching process is about instilling knowledge, confidence, and positive thinking in our children and enabling them to be positive citizens for the communities in which they live.

An inspiring initiative by Al Ghurair, Dar Al Marefa School is a top-ranked and widely recognised bilingual International Baccalaureate® school in Dubai with a broader academic vision – to make a significant contribution to the next generation of the UAE by partnering with parents, friends and the local community.

Vision & Mission

Our vision is to create a community that fosters lifelong learning, is rooted in its values and beliefs, is open minded, tolerant and appreciates diversity. Our graduates are principled and courageous individuals, ready to contribute to a more just and peaceful world.

Our mission is to build a consistent, challenging and safe learning environment that supports each child in exploring their capabilities, encourages them to respect other cultures and embrace the world with open-mindedness, tolerance and confidence.

Our Team

No one forgets a great teacher. No one forgets a good school. No one forgets Dar Al Marefa. That's because through the years, our team of passionate, dedicated and experienced educators have always kept the best interests of our students at heart.

Dal Sohi – Principal

Mr. Sohi holds a B.A. from the University of British Columbia, an M.Ed. the University of San Diego, and an Ed.S. in Instructional Leadership from Argosy University. Mr. Sohi prides himself on being an effective communicator and understands the importance of developing strong relationships with all constituents. These working relationships are enhanced by his facility in four languages: English, French, Punjabi, and Mandarin.

Beyond the school level, Mr. Sohi has led multiple accreditation teams and served as a member in six countries and four continents. His leadership experience also includes three years as President of a 50 member Principals and Vice-Principals Association in Canada. His recent work with the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to review and revise curriculum will be a considerable asset in his role at Dar Al Marefa School.

Ms. Naira Hamdy – Deputy Principal – PYP Head of Primary (K-Gr5)

Ms. Naira has more than 20 years as PYP Head and a PYP Coordinator. She’s graduated from Cairo University, Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences in 1990. She has a master degree in Educational leadership and Children’s psychology from Lille University in France 2002.

Being a workshop leader, school inspector team leader, consultant and online facilitator has allowed Ms Naira to travel, explore and visit many schools in Africa, Europe & the Middle East and join dar al marefa with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Ms Naira is a strong supporter of bilingual and trilingual education and speaks three languages: English, French and Arabic.

She believes that “Students and teachers are the custodians of the school culture” and “To be able to teach targeting to the students’ needs will make a difference not only in the student but also in the future of our society.

Amber Koetsier Singh – Head of Secondary

Amber brings to Dar Al Marefa almost 20 years in diverse High School settings both in New York City and Dubai. Originally from the Netherlands, Amber’s family immigrated to the United States when she was in elementary school. She has worked in IB, American and British curriculum schools, with her most recent previous assignment having been to help bring in the IBMYP and the IBCP programs. She has experience in IB and BTEC Authorization and Evaluation, DSIB Inspection preparation, educational data analysis and implementing positive education programs.

She has professional interests in research based educational solutions, creating organizational management structures which help to improve schools and using empathetic approaches to solving school based challenges.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, a Master’s Degree in Public and Non-Profit Management and an Advanced Certificate in Educational Administration (School Administrator/Superintendent License).

Inas Al Derbashi – DP Coordinator

Ms. Inas AlDerbashi is the DP Coordinator at the school. She has 17 years of experience in education, 5 of which have been in previous leadership positions. She has a thorough knowledge of education quality standards and student performance analysis.

Ms. Inas holds a Master of Education. She is a bilingual IB workshop leader with extensive knowledge of the PYP, MYP and DP programs.

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.” Dr. Martin Luther King.

Rizwan Ahmad Khan – MYP Coordinator

Mr. Rizwan earned a first class honours degree in Psychology from the University of Huddersfield and teacher training from the University of Bolton. Mr Rizwan continues his journey at dar al marefa as MYP Coordinator after having served as Head of English for four years. As MYP Coordinator, Mr Rizwan leads the implementation of the IB Middle Years Programme for students in grades 6 to 10. Prior to his experience at dar al marefa, Mr Rizwan served as an english and psychology teacher in the UK. He also has over 9 years of experience in radio broadcasting at a commercial radio station in the UK. Mr Rizwan describes his philosophy as an educator as providing the wings of life to every student so that they realise their potential and are able to explore an ever-changing world with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding.

“Learning is successful, relevant and engaging when it is personalised, contextual and engaging. The most rewarding aspect of teaching is instilling a love of learning and helping every child reach their potential through building a community of high aspiration”.

Sally Kendrick – PYP Coordinator

Miss Sally Kendrick, the PYP Coordinator at dar al marefa. I graduated from Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, England in 2002. From that time onwards I have been working as a class teacher for students from KG1 to G6. In 2010 I joined dar al marefa, after 4 years in another Dubai school, leading to me becoming the PYP Coordinator at dar al marefa in 2016.

The majority of my teaching career has been in PYP, and I fully embrace the IB Framework as a way to teach and support the learners of today. I truly believe that it gives them the skills and attitudes that will help them to be successful in their lives.

Curriculum

Dar Al Marefa is an IB World School offering a bilingual education in English and Arabic. Our curriculum reflects our respect for local and regional cultures while preparing our students for an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Our teaching staff from 17 different nationalities provide a world-class education to our student body from over 35 countries.